Galaxy Unpacked 2026: A First Look at the Galaxy S26 Series — Samsung’s Most Intuitive AI Phone Yet
Samsung announced new smartphones and earbuds today, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; all new products are available for pre-order today and will launch officially on March 11th. The rollout continues a February launch cadence the brand has maintained for over five years, and it foregrounds a push toward easier-to-use AI features and privacy controls.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup: models, storage and the new internal chip
The company launched a full Galaxy S26 lineup: the Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. All three models now start at 256GB of storage, up from 128GB on the S25 and S25 Plus, and include a new internal chip designed to improve performance across tasks and enable new AI software features.
S26 and S26 Plus: modest hardware upgrades and higher starting prices
The Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus receive a few incremental hardware upgrades. The Samsung Galaxy S26 has a slightly larger battery at 4, 300 mAh, up from 4, 000 mAh. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus offers slightly faster wireless charging. Both models start at 256GB, a storage increase that also brings higher prices: retail pricing is $899 for the S26 and $1, 099 for the S26 Plus, each $100 more than the previous comparable models.
S26 Ultra, privacy screen and charging improvements
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra steps up camera performance and offers faster wired and wireless charging. It starts at $1, 299, unchanged from last year’s S25 Ultra price. A prominent new feature across the launch is a built-in privacy screen that can be finely customized; users can choose which on-screen elements are dimmed to onlookers, including notifications and password screens.
Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro: refreshed design and battery life
Samsung also introduced two new earbuds: the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Both share a new design with smoother, rounded eartips that contrast with the Buds 3’s sharp, triangular stem shape. The Buds 4 are the more budget-friendly option and do not have rubber eartips, offering a semi-open ear design similar to a notable competitor. The Buds 4 provide up to six hours of listening on a single charge, plus an additional 30 hours from the charging case. The Buds 4 Pro are positioned as the premium model with traditional rubber eartips and deliver up to seven hours of listening plus 30 more hours from the case.
What’s missing from the event and what to expect next
Last year’s Galaxy S25 Edge was marketed as a super-thin, super-light smartphone relative to other models. The brand did not mention an Edge during this event, so it is unknown whether a Galaxy S26 Edge will be introduced at this time. Separately, the company typically launches new Galaxy Watches, Z-Flip and Z-Fold models in the summer, and a second Galaxy Unpacked event in the summer is expected for those devices.
The Galaxy Ring and legal uncertainty
The Samsung Galaxy Ring launched in the summer of 2024 and quickly drew legal action: Oura filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung, and Samsung filed a counter suit. That legal history follows a pattern in which Samsung has previously filed patent suits against smart ring makers such as Ultrahuman, RingConn, Zepp Health and others. Given those disputes, the fate of the Samsung Galaxy Ring is more uncertain than some of the brand’s other products; timing for a Galaxy Ring 2 is unclear in the provided context.
The reporter who covered this event notes they have covered Samsung and its competitors for years as part of phone, smartwatch and earbuds coverage and invites readers to sign up for further updates a newsletter.
